They Look at Me like I Look at You
by Foundaloverwhocouldplaythebass
Summary: Ash falls into the clutches of Team Rocket and faces his biggest danger yet. Now his friends( including Pokemon) must band together to save him from the biggest threat they've ever faced, himself. Rated T for swearing. Includes ContestShipping and eventual PokeShipping.


**A/N:** Hey, so I totally forgot it was Pokeshipping week and realised I am the absolute worst! So I'll keep this note short because I hate writing notes and they probably will not occur too many times in this story. So, onto the important details.

This is an AU where Ash is just about turning 16 after coming second in Kalos. I've tried writing all the characters six years older than they are in canon so I'm sorry if they seem ooc. Also I will have a few OCs but they will in no way be main characters and will own serve as extra Team Rocket members, Team Magma, onlookers, etc. This is a long one and took a while to write so apologies for any mistakes regarding spelling, grammar and accuracy.

Ages (In alphabetical order):

Ash ketchum: 16

Brock Slate: 21

Daisy Waterflower: 20

Drew Hayden: 16

Gary Oak: 16

May Maple: 16

Misty Waterflower:16

Tracey Sketchit: 18

This story includes eventual Pokeshipping and outright Contest-shipping. There will be more characters included in the story as it goes on. Woah, this note did not turn out to be short.

Hope you enjoy the story!

 **Chapter 1**

 **Team Rocket (Sinnoh Base)**

"Now sir?"

"Yes. _Now."_ The Team Rocket boss, Giovanni Rocketti, replied sharply, "As in right now. This very minute."

The Rocket grunt hesitated . Of course he knew better than to question the boss but he had to make sure he had all the facts before carrying out the order. It was best to make sure he had heard right. He stammered out his next question anyway;

"You want the boy? Not the Pikachu?"

He trembled a tiny bit when the daunting figure before him had narrowed his eyes in on him.

"Yes, had I not made myself clear?" Giovanni snapped, annoyance creeping into his usual mild tone. The rocket grunt began to sweat as he thought carefully of a suitable response. Though the well-groomed man with coiffured hair before him appeared calm and collected, the new recruit knew better than to push him too far. He had heard many stories about his employer's violent tantrums. He had yet to see one those for himself but was reluctant to let his first order from the boss be an unpleasant one.

"But Sir," he began to protest, wringing his hands as he did so, "After all Jesse and James have said about that Pikachu…" He trailed off a bit before gulping and continuing on, "He seems to be quite the specimen. The boy, on the other hand, seems to be nothing but an interfering brat. I-"

Giovanni raised a hand, signalling for him to stop. He appeared to be annoyed but there didn't seem to be an angry fit ready to be had.

"I could get someone else to do it should you not feel up to this, admittedly simple, task. I'd ask Domino but she'd bawk at such an ask." Giovanní purred as he sat back down, seeing his own version of reverse psychology taking affect on the young recruit. The Rocket grunt sprang into action, "No need , Sir! I will get you that kid, no problem and-"

He stopped dead in his tracks when Giovanni, once again, raised his hand to shut him up. His calm demeanor was finally restored back to the way it was before. He decided to change the plan a little.

"I can tell you're new," he said to the young fellow, "So, I'll make this a bit more easy. Track the boy down. Keep an eye on him. Make sure you are not seen but should you fail to do this, be sure there is no one else around when he sees you. That is all you have to do."

It seemed like a do-able mission but with some of the buffoons he had employed in the past Giovanni was never sure. The young grunt, however, jumped at the chance. "Sir! Yes Sir!"

The Team Rocket boss stopped him for a final time, reaching for the file drawer in his desk, "A little advice for you, No. 33708."

No. 33708, or Lyle as he is known to his friends, couldn't contain his giddyness at the fact that the boss had remembered his membership number.

"Jesse, James and Meowth have done wonders to restore my faith in them. They are no longer the black sheep of this organisation. Still, I suggest you take their silly stories in the canteen with a pinch of salt." He stood up as he perused one file in particular. "You're dismissed."

With that, Lyle rushed out to fulfill his duty and left to Giovanni to his own devices. The boss thumbed through the file, his brows knitted together in a frown as his eyes scanned each page. Confusion. That was the only word to describe how he felt about Ash Ketchum's file. He had only asked for it to be made in the first place because he had become an enormous nuisance to his staff as he had thwarted many of their attempts to acquire Pokémon and Giovanni decided that if he was going to involve this kid he could at least find out a bit about him.

The information in the document was fairly vague with plenty of question marks scribbled on most of the pages. Especially on the page that included a picture of a mysterious Pokemon in constraining armor. This made Giovanni grunt in sheer frustration. He knew that he should be familiar with it but he just could not remember a damned thing. Every time he read through this file things had started to come back. Little tidbits of images and sounds flooded his mind when reading it. However, this would all stop once he came across that offending picture. He heaved a sigh as he sat and mulled it over. Something told him that the cost of losing that Pokemon in the picture was far greater than the cost of damages that Meowth and his two cronies had caused him. It all seemed to be linked to this kid too.

Whether he intended to or not, Ash Ketchum brought destruction with him wherever he went. The Pikachu, without a doubt, was a treasure but it had not taken Giovanni too long to figure out just how special Ash is. Well, at least he figured he was the first to come to this conclusion as Lance and any of his adversaries did not seem to hovering over him much. This kid had reported to seeing legendary Pokemon and seemed present when the world had been brought to its knees by disaster time and time again. A normal person would see this as just coincidence but not Giovanni. Jesse and James, Butch and Cassidy and Annie and Oakley all represented what the public thought of Team Rocket; as incompetent thieves. Ash would stand for everything Giovanni wanted the organisation to be, a way for him to rule the world.

He pushed down a few numbers in the phone before speaking into it. "Put Domino on the line." He requested and thus, invited her to a meeting in his office. She was the far superior agent and his favorite employee in the organisation. He made a mental note to himself to thank her for bringing the boy to his attention once more.

It took a curt "Sir?" to snap him out of his thoughts and to pay proper attention to the astute blonde before him. He normally energetic demeanour was replaced by a look of uncertainty for the moment and a little anxious over what Giovanni had to say about the ideas she had put forward about this project. Giovanni wanted a war. This was something everyone in the company was aware of without the big W-A-R word ever being uttered. No, what tipped them off was how common it had become for the boss to speak with fury and passion rather than a gentle tone covering up his true malicious intentions, the fist clenches and desk punches but most of all, it was the way he showed his newfound blood-lust. Instead of commands like "Seize _him!"_ it was more like "Get rid of him, _now."_ Failed mission after failed mission Giovanni's asks had become more demanding and more violent.

"I can tell this is about what I said about the boy yesterday," Domino stepped forward with folded arms. If any other rocket member were to be so brazen as to assume the boss's intentions they would be punished for their insolence. Domino, however, had rarely suffered at the hands of his ire as she was one of the most reputable and outstanding employee but most of all, she was one of the few that Giovanni trusted to tell him the truth rather than the sycophantic babbling that he was used to hearing. Underneath the childish facade she had was a reputable agent who got things done. Her enthusiasm in his cause made him smile a mischievous grin that looked out of place on his usually dour expression.

"Ive read everything you and Professor Reid have assembled for me," he began, beckoning her to have a seat. His Persian, jealous of the attention given to Domino, nuzzled the knee of its Master, who was now also reclining on a seat with his hands clasped together on his lap.

Domino nodded gratefully, taking the seat without hesitation.

"Ill be honest, Sir. I have been worried about this. Ever since we pitched this to you...well, you were unreachable until now. I had thought that suggesting we include a sixteen year old kid into your plans had offended you and maybe made you think either I or Dr. Reid were not taking you cause seriously." Her tone was calm but her breath had quickened. This whole ordeal was not only of Giovanni's concern. This whole deal was now also Domino's vision and the thought of her putting her stake in it at risk alarmed her.

"My apologies for my absence since that meeting," Giovanni said, "When you presented your findings to me the other day things began to stir up familiar thoughts." Before saying another word he pushed the file he had been holding over to her.

"Are you referring to that time where we ended up facing this kid with his friends without any recollection of how or why we got there?" Domino asked, flipping through the information. It was obviously Giovanni's abridged version of what she and Nigel Reid had come up with.

"Not just that," he waved away the notion for a minute or so, "This Ketchum boy has been a thorn in my side when it comes to Jesse, James and Meowth and damage control."

Domino winced at the mere mention of their names. Embarrassments, the lot of them. How he could see past their antics was something she would never know.

"But," he continued, " if their little stories about him and his Pokémon are true then you can count me in on this project."

Domino blinked in response, taking it all in.

"Sir, are you...are you sure?"

"This is more than about what you've found about Mister Ketchum's connection with legendary Pokémon. This is more than about him defeating us over and over again. If my sources are to believed, he has aura. He is _special."_ He slammed down his fist on the desk in frustration so suddenly that Domino hopped in her seat for a second. She had trouble predicting what he would do or say next. "What I didn't understand is why he always unfortunate when it comes to leagues? I've been watching his matches lately and he hasn't made that much of a dent. Why is this?"

His female associate could not decide whether these where rhetorical questions or not but she tried to hazard a guess. The key word is try.

"Well Sir, I..."

"Because he's on the wrong team is why!" he interrupted fiercely. "With the likes of Samuel Oak as your mentor with his goody goody nonsense you're bound to fail! Give him to me and I'd make him a _real_ Pokémon Master in no time!"

The blonde haired agent nodded pensively. "He'd be useful for our cause," she mused.

"He'd be our ultimate weapon. Not only would he bring me straight to the most powerful Pokémon of all but I take all the untapped potential in him and make him the best thing that ever happened to team Rocket." Giovanni cried out, completely set on this epic plan.

Domino twisted her mouth into a smile despite feeling a sharp pang of jealousy. It was her idea and this kid was already the center of attention.

"Of course, Sir. The question is how do we do this? The kid seems to be surrounded by family, friends and Pokémon 24/7. By the looks of it, him and his Pikachu are inseparable." She said this as though her voice sounded anything but doubtful.

"I have some lower level grunt tracking him right now and more will follow suit. Ill keep most of this quiet to the likes of Jesse and her ilk. I find their actions a suitable distraction to others while we make our move."

"Sir," Domino pressed, still wanting this plan to be more fleshed out, "Hes not going to be a willing participant." Giovanni just snorted at this claim, scribbling down some instructions.

"We'll follow him for a while, isolate him from the rest and then snatch him. You then bring him to me. From then on you let me take care of the boy's mindset." He purred, pushing the note forward.

Domino would willingly admit that despite her ruthless reputation the last part of his sentence made a her squirm a little bit. After all, Ash was just a kid. They could use him then drop him. There was no need to pull him in completely. But this wasn't the time for Domino to become unsure.

Despite these doubts, Domino sat up straight and forced herself to rid herself of these thoughts out of her head to prepare herself to give 100% into this project.

"I'll keep an eye on things and make sure Jesse, James and Meowth will carry on doing what they do while being none the wiser. " She stood to face him and give a salute.

"Ill speak with you soon with a concrete plan. For now, good luck. "Giovanni said, running a hand through his styled hair. He left her to her own devices, confident in her abilities to get difficult tasks done.

* * *

 **Pallet town, Kanto. 22 May, 2015.**

"Thanks again for letting us have the party here, Professor," Delia Ketchum chirped as she hauled another box of party things into the lab.

The professor, who had foolishly tried to carry several boxes at once, struggled placing them while placating Delia. "Honestly, it's no trouble. I did offer it."

"I know but it's such an ask. Food, drink and decorations. I still need to clean..." an anxious Mrs Ketchum trailed off, rustling through the boxes.

" _Delia,"_ Oak started with a firm tone, " Everything will go to plan and it will be a great day." He then thumbed to his teen assistant, Tracey. "Besides, Tracey can deal with the cleaning. Right Tracey?"

"Mmmf" came the reply of the grass-green haired teen, drowning in a sea of party supplies.

"Speaking of which, how's the birthday boy? Rearing to go on a new adventure, I'd say!" The Professor grinned. Though his glee was short lived on seeing Delia's face fall slightly.

"Delia?" he pressed, his pronounced eyebrows knitting together in concern.

"He's fine." She stammered out in reply. "Its been two weeks since he arrived, two weeks since he's left his friends in Kalos and two weeks since his loss in the league. He's been...well, he's been taking it well."

The Professor looked to Tracey , tilting his head in confusion. Both seemed to be at a loss as to what was wrong. According to Delia, Ash seemed to be doing just fine.

"I must admit, Delia, I'm not getting the problem here."

Delia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Usually, I wouldn't even think twice about something like this but..." She pondered over her words before continuing , "It feels different. He's just suffered another loss and yet, he seems to be taking it well. Only that every time I ask him what he's doing next he shuts me out. He's not been mad or anything he just spends most of his time with his Pokémon down here at the lab. He's with his Tauros down at the fields right now, I think." With that, Delia tried to gauge both Samuel and Tracey's reactions. Truth be told, she just wanted to know that her feelings were valid and that she was not going crazy.

"You know what I think?" Samuel asked, raking his fingers through his bristly grey hair, causing it to stick up like a ruffled up Taillow, "I think that at sixteen, Ash Ketchum has finally joined the rest of his age group and become a stereotypical teenager. It's just been a confusing and difficult time for him right now. I wouldn't look too much into it."

"I think the Professor is probably right, Ms Ketchum," Tracey piped up. He had been nodding along to the Professor's sage words before offering Ash's mom some reassurance. "Ive been talking to him a lot recently and he seemed like his usual, plucky self. "

Delia smiled weakly at the kindly boy's words. "Thank you, Tracey."

"Actually Tracey, could you track Ash down and ask him about who's coming, please." Oak asked, although he already knew the answer already he just wanted Tracey to check up on Ash.

"Sure thing, Professor," Tracey nodded, glad to be giving his back a rest from the boxes of Ms Ketchum 's food.

* * *

It had seemed that Ms Ketchum had gone step ahead of them as Mr Mime was already hovering around Ash while it pretended to sweep frankly. The loyal Tracey was starting to be more worried for Ms Ketchum than Ash. Her anxiety about Ash made her resort to assigning Mr Mime a babysitting role. Not very subtle, is it?, Tracey thought, witnessing all of this a few yards away. In his vantage point he could see Ash's much loved Pikachu gleefully play with the Pokémon Ash left behind at the lab. Tracey smiled. It was hard not to get caught up in the excitement of this reunion with all the running, jumping and joyful choruses of Pokémon communicating with each other.

The sight of a young, hooded fellow sullenly leaning against the fence hindered the joyful scene altogether. Tracey was a little shocked to see Ash out of his official Pokémon gear and into a drab grey hoody and black slouchy jeans. No hat sat proudly atop his messy black hair. Instead, his hair seemed even more ruffled than what seemed possible. The whole look wasn't very Ash-like. The difference in his appearance would not have even phased Tracey before only that the conversation he had just had with Delia made Ash's new taste in fashion strange

The lab assistant decided to write off the concerns as nothing more than those of an overly-worried, overworked mother.

"Ash! Hey, Ash!" he called, trotting on down over to him.

The boy in the grey hoody with hunched shoulders jumped on hearing his name mentioned. Tracey laughed.

"Hey Buddy! I didn't mean to startle you!"

Just like that, Ash's expression went from doleful to a relaxed smile. That was the thing. Ash always made any of his friends feel as though he was genuinely glad to see them. Ash knew how to make everyone feel at ease with him if he wanted to but Tracey couldn't forget the sad looking kid he saw moments ago.

"Hey Tracey, you alright? Do you need help with anything?" Ash asked, snapping Tracey out of his thoughts. Tracey smiled and pulled out his clip board and was ready for business.

'Well Ash, the Professor needs you to confirm the numbers for your birthday party. Its only a few hours the party starts."

Ash shrugged, "l'm not too sure. Haven't really thought about it much.'

Tracey nodded. He thought as much. Good thing that Tracey was a dab hand at being a party planner as well as being a ridiculously talented artist. He flicked through his clipboard, ticking off everyone who rsvp'ed and some surprise guests. Just flicking through the names had Tracey excited for this sixteenth birthday party even though it was not his!

"You okay, man? You don't seem all that excited." Tracey rested himself against the fence in a spot next to Ash. "We haven't had a proper catch-up since you arrived back from Kalos."

Ash sucked in his breath.

"Let me guess, my Mom asked you to talk to me?"

"She's worried about you." Tracey pretty much confirmed this suspicion, "But I won't tell her anything you don't want me to. Look, you can talk to me. You know that, right?"

"Well, I'm alright. Okay?" Ash sighed, his brown eyes swivelling over to the Tauros, "Just have a lot going on."

"See, that's what the Professor and I pretty much said to your mother but now I'm not so sure.' Tracey replied, keeping his usual polite tone but with an edge of concern to it. The boy from the Orange Islands was not one for confrontation but he knew something was wrong and so he pressed on. Ash was not normally this stoic or closed off. His friend was only known to be this way when something was bothering him. Without the colourful trainer gear, Pikachu on his shoulder and a pair of worn, fingerless gloves, the boy before him looked like a looming shadow of his former self.

Ash clenched his fists as he stared fiercely at the ground as though he were pleading with it to open up and swallow him whole. The Pallet town native looked over both shoulders before bringing his head back up to face Tracey. It was at that moment Tracey could see the dark circles under his eyes. They tell-tale signs of sleepless nights of torturing oneself over their worries of the day.

"Who are you looking out for?" Tracey quizzed, trying to follow his line of sight.

"Pikachu."

"Oh. Why?"

Ash sighed, looking unsure of his own reasons to be so cautious

"I don't want him hearing this. I want him to be happy."

"Ash?" Tracey was more confused than ever, "What's going on?"

Ash stuffed his hands into pockets and hunched his shoulders.

"Tracey, I...think I should quit Pokémon training." He stammered out, his words were struggling to leave his mouth and yet they did.

"Bird Jesus Christ, Ash, why would you even think of such a thing?" Tracey exclaimed. Raising his voice was not his forte but if it knocked some sense into this kid he'd scream it out right there and then. "Travelling and training Pokémon is all you've ever wanted to do!"

"But I'm not good at it, am I, Tracey?" he countered back, just as sharply. His lack of self assurance frightened Tracey. It just wasn't like Ash not to believe in himself. So much so that Tracey couldn't even think of an appropriate response. Ash would usually shake off every defeat with grace while preparing for the next challenge with perseverance. The way he faced the failures was what people like Tracey and friends admired in him. Tracey just blinked back at him, truly puzzled. Ash continued on, "All I do is waste time and money travelling and training. And for what? To lose nearly every championship over and over again?"

"Well that's not true. You've won the Orange Islands... And...and in Sinnoh, you- well you- ..." Tracey trailed off, smiling weakly. He knew his words were having no affect so he softened his voice back to its usual gentle cadence. "Every Final you've battled in has a been has been a close call. I would even call some of those wins questionable. Your Pokemon are strong and your will is strong. You will be a Pokemon Master some day, I know it.'

Even with this inspiring rant Ash seemed to deflate and crumple over the fence like a tin can folding over in a fire. He leaned against it like he had lost his spine and depended on the fence to stand. He was like a boy who had finally been crushed by the weight on his shoulders.

"You don't think I've thought about this?" Ash whispered while glancing over quickly to Pikachu once more. "Ive been this... _tired_ since Unova. I've just gotten good at hiding it." He then chuckled a little though there was little mirth in it. "Now I know how my Mother feels. Saying she'll be fine every time I leave when in reality, she misses me a lot. She's good at pretending everything is fine for me. Now I'm doing that for her."

Ash knew this must have been weird for Tracey to see. Like they had crossed an alternative dimension where the determined Ash Ketchum was replaced by a hopeless boy with insecurities. Ash had been away from friends and family for so long and had lost as much as he gained. He was no longer the ten year old with no worries and a lot of dreams. His adventures were many and every win was within reach but always evaded him. His friends, old and new, strengthened him as a person but his losses were having a severe affect on him recently. It did not help that he was now sixteen years old and struggling to keep up with the others in his age group. The Professor's grand son Gary had already peaked, becoming one of the most remarkable researchers and Misty became the official leader for the Cerulean gym by the age of eleven. It was a lot to live up to. Then there was Pikachu. His very best friend. Both of them had been through so much and with all that had been swimming through his head, the fear of letting his Pokémon down was a fear that added to the list of things bothering him. He didn't know whether this was just a phase that he could shake off or that it was here to stay.

"I mean, I haven't decided on whether or not I'll stop for sure. All I know is that I've been thinking back on everything I've done and what I've achieved. Quitting and picking something else to do with my life seems like a real possibility." Ash explained, rubbing the back of his neck, teasing out the tension in his muscles. He shook his head in disbelief at his own words and thoughts. "I know it sounds crazy. What else is someone like me supposed to do with my life? All I know is Pokémon and training." He sounded hopeless. In two short weeks, Ash was beaten down by his insecurities and the uncertainty of what the future held for him.

What he did know was that the words that came out of Tracey Sketchit's mouth where exactly what he needed to instill enough courage in him to go through with this birthday party.

"Everyone gets a little bit unsure sometimes, Ash. Its okay to not know." The young man with green hair assured him. "Believe it or not, this isn't an uncommon thing, insecurity."

"It isn't?" Ash raised his head, dragging his gaze away from the Pokémon before him.

"Of course not! Do you think Professor Oak knows what he's doing 100℅ of the time?"

Ash's response to this was a flat one.

"Yes."

Tracey snorted, shaking his head profusely, "He'd be nothing without me and Gary."

Ash's shoulders sank at the mention of his former rival's name. "M'sure Gary knows what he's doing."

"Well, Gary' s tryna be a researcher. His whole thing is to find out what he has to do. He doesn't have all the answers despite what he tells you."

Ash grew to be more appreciative of Tracey's words by the minute. He had forgotten how persistently supportive he was. That was something else Ash missed out on while training.

"Thanks Tracey."

"What for?"

Ash sighed as he clenched the fence. Perhaps these feelings were just apart of the confusion of growing up. "For talking some sense into me. I'm being stupid."

"Oh, no problem! I'm glad I can help. You know I learned a lot about motivational speaking from Daisy. In her new movie she plays a grief counselor who finds love in her new group. They release pidgeys into the wild at the end. Its all very symbolic."

"Wait, are you still dating Daisy Waterflower?" Ash smirked, using this question as a means to change the subject.

To Ash's delight, Tracey's cheeks burned in embarrassment and he now resembled a very ripe tomato.

"Y-yes, of course we are. Why wouldn't we be?" Tracey stammered.

"Just wondering. "Ash hummed nonchalantly, as though he wasn't aware of how bashful Tracey could get once Daisy was mentioned. "You guys must not get to see each other that much seeing as how you're both so busy. "

"Actually, we see each other all the time", Tracey shrugged, "When I'm not here, I'm in Cerulean. Not only do I get to see my girlfriend but I also get to help Misty at the gym. We've become real close. By the way, do you know if Misty or anyone else is coming to the party because...'

Ash did not hear the rest of the sentence. Once Misty was mentioned he felt a real pang of something strong. Something about the thought of Tracey being able to see the rest of Ash's friends did not sit right with him. He was reluctant to call it jealousy but that was the most apt word he could think of. But it was more than that. Tracey got to spend as much time with Misty as he wanted and Ash had to sacrifice any time with his old Kanto and Hoenn friends due to travel. Though Tracey admitted to still be courting Daisy, Ash could not help but be jealous of the Sketchit kid's close relationship with Misty.

"Ash?" Tracey waved a hand in front of his friend's face, "You sure you're okay, buddy? I know you're a little iffy but you seem spaced out."

Ash shook his head animatedly as though he were shaking all those negative feelings out of his body "Yep. Just a little tired."

Tracey pulled out his clipboard and began scribbling out something on paper. "I kinda guessed you'd forget to call everyone and see if they can come so I took the liberty of doing it myself. Its gonna be quite the party."

"Thanks Tracey. Dunno how anything would be done around here without you.' Ash said, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "So, who's coming?"

"Well, all of the Kanto pals are coming. Got a strong maybe from the Hoenn crowd and some uncertain answers from Dawn, your friends in Unova and your most recent travelling companions."

Ash nodded, "Cant blame Dawn and the others. They live real far. I should really phone them. I've got a lot of catching up to do."

"You're busy. I'm sure they understand." Tracey said, tucking the clipboard under his arm.

"I've missed them. All of them." Ash said while raking a hand through his hair.

"You get to see some at the party. It'll be so much fun! You're turning sixteen. Isn't that exciting?"

" It was Mom's idea to have a sweet sixteenth. I thought it was a way for me to take my mind off the defeat in the league for a while but now that you mention it, turning sixteen feels like a big deal." Ash glanced up towards the lab, "D'you guys need any help setting up in there?"

Tracey shook his head vehemently, "Nah, we have it covered. You stay and relaxed. You might want to get changed though."

Ash peered down at his drab hoody and jeans combo.

"Oh," he said, "Right."

* * *

As soon as Tracey had left him alone Ash was left to his thoughts once more. "Maybe Tracey is right." He sighed to himself. Talking with Tracey had stopped the internal torment for a bit but all his insecurities soon crept back in. All your friends will laugh at you when they realise what a failure you are, a niggling voice in the back of his mind sneered. It was true. His friends had made something of themselves and Ash was still doing the same thing he'd been doing six years ago. He twas apprehensive about the party as soon ad it was first mentioned as he couldn't bear thinking about his friends' reactions to his lack of progress. Worse yet, he had an inkling that his mother's present to him was more Pokémon clothes and gear while Professor Oak would gift him with a new pokedex. They were counting on him to keep going and yet he no longer thought he could. They probably wanted him gone and he felt he couldn't go out there and humiliate himself and his Pokémon anymore. The raven haired teen shielded his eyes with his left hand so his tauros wouldn't be punished with the sight of their trainer fighting back tears.

"Pika pi?"

Ash turned abruptly to find his small, yellow best friend peer up at him in concern. One ear was lowered while the other jutted upwards as the mouse Pokemon stood on its hind legs. "Pika Pi?" There was something obviously wrong here and to Pikachu, the smile on his trainer's face was forced and definitely hiding something.

"Hey Pikachu! " Ash gushed with all the gusto he could muster. Pikachu's friends ,in all their shapes and sizes, scampered over to see what the fuss is about.

" _Pika Pi,"_ Pikachu squeaked as hopped onto the fence with ease to confront his friend.

Ash stroked Pikachu s fur, an affectionate gesture that put the Pokémon at ease for a bit.

"I'm okay, buddy. We're okay," Ash soothed, "Just a little confused is all.'

Tracey arrived back to lab and was greeted with the sight of Delia Ketchum working diligently to clean the area and the professor on a step ladder to put up the banner. "Ah, Tracey! You're back already. Good because I still have we equipment to pack up and put away."

"Should you be doing that, Professor? What with your back and all? "Tracey asked, maneuvering over to the ladder in case the older man were to slip.

"I'm fine! If I fall then Muk will catch me."

The Professor's jovial response was met with an equally enthused one from the sludge like Pokémon. "Muuuuuuk."

"Alright but I'm not gonna spend three hours pulling him off of you _again."_ Tracey muttered under his breath before grabbing the sweeping brush and a cloth to wipe counters with.

"So Tracey," Delia said from behind, causing the startled teen to jump, "Did you get to talk to him?'

On calming down, Tracey gave her a nod, sweating a a little. He had no idea whether he should confirm Mrs Ketchum's fears about Ash or whether she had been referring to the party list. He cleared his throat.

"Of course he actually didn't do the invites. Same old Ash! He'd forget he even has a birthday if we were not here to remind him.

Delia chuckled, a pleasant, gentle sound, and shook her head. "I should at least get him to come help. He can't sit around doing nothing all day, ad much as he'd like to."

Tracey panicked and blocked her way. "I ugh, I'd leave him alone if I were you Mrs Ketchum. He doesn't seem to be in the mood."

Delia was beginning to get sick of Ash's sullenness and she was a little disappointed that he had Tracey hiding things from her too.

"Tracey, what's going on?" she asked, arms folded tightly and a stern look replacing her usual welcoming look. "Has he told you something?"

Tracey heaved out a long tortured sigh. The last thing he wanted to do this morning was to be caught between mother and son. He fidgeted with his sporty head band and tried to think of something diplomatic and vague to say.

" _Tracey,"_ Mrs Ketchum pressed, tapping her foot impatiently.

Tracey relented, dropping his shoulders.

"You're right, Mrs Ketchum. Something's wrong with Ash." He whispered, under the paranoid impression that Ash could hear him telling all to his mother. "He's down. He's really down. I think you were right about him being upset about his latest defeat "

Mrs Ketchum's expression went from pleading to gravely concerned.

Professor Oak had listened to the exchange and took this uncomfortably silent moment as a cue for him to step into the conversation.

"Tracey, could you give us a moment? I'm sure you could use a break." He said to the teen, placing a hand on Delia's shoulder to calm her.

"Sure thing, Professor!" Tracey said quickly, relieved to be offered an out of this situation. He scurried off to the kitchen.

"Professor," Delia said quietly, her voice cracking, "What do I do?"

"Im sure everything is fine, Delia. Like I said, teenagers can be difficult to read sometimes. They don't know how to deal with their feelings yet and that's fine. Its normal," The old man intoned gently, "I should know. I raised two teenagers and with Gary here also I'm pretty much never done dealing with them."

"Its just..." Delia began, her expression wanly, "Its not very Ash and..."

Oak held up a hand to signal her to stop before she upset herself too much. He knew her longer than anyone else in town and knew when she was about to work herself up into a frenzy.

"I get that its difficult seeing him as no longer the exuberant child we saw six years ago. I do. But he's growing and changing and like Gary, becoming a fine young man. Remember his loss to Ritchie in the Indigo league? Remember how hard it hit him? He got over it and he will get over this too. We just need to get him ready for his next adventure."

Delia wiped away the tears that had threatened to spill and gave her mentor a back breaking hug. "Thank you, Samuel.'

"For what?" he gasped, kind struggling to breath.

"For reassuring me. Sometimes I just need someone to tell me that me and my son will be okay."

"Yes, yes." The elder Oak replied, straightening the lapels of his lab coat. "Now, let's get this party going. I guarantee that he'll be right as rain when he sees his old pals."

* * *

Ash, knowing that he had managed to unsettle his mother, Tracey and his Pokemon with his behavior, thought that it was time to get back and shake himself out of this funk. He slipped a fresh white T-shirt and some clean jeans. To keep things a little interesting he propped one of his old baseball caps on top of his unruly hair. The piece de resistance of this ensemble was a fake smile. Even if he was not feeling up to this party it was time to show some gratitude to his family and friends. He was Ash Ketchum for Arceus' sake. He had come back from worse things.

"Ash, " Tracey knocked on his bedroom door, seemingly out of breath. "Two of our guests have arrived early."

"Did you run here?' Ash asked, his voice a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

"Yes." Was all Tracey could say before he was bombarded by Gary Oak who emerged from the outside hall and jumped into the room "Aaaaaashy boyyyyy!'

Gary rushed over to give Ash the largest nuggie the world had ever seen while a more calm and collected Brock Slate followed behind Gary whilst carrying some bags. "Hey Ash, how ya doing?" he asked, ignoring the fact that Ash was probably seeing stars after Gary's rough show of affection. Gary only stopped when he got bored and wanted to see Pikachu. He bent down to stroke the mouse Pokemon's ears. "Lookin' good, Pikachu! "

"Agreed, your coat looks fantastic. Ash must be feeding you right." Brock commented, marveling at Pikachu's form.

"When and how did you get here?" Ash asked, the hint of genuine smile threatened to show on his face.

"I saw Gary on his way here so I gave him a ride. Thought we'd come by early and see if we could help." The spiky haired trainee Doctor beamed back at Ash, giving him a friendly pat on the back.

"I mean, you'd help but I'd supervise. Cleaning is not my thing." Gary snarked, standing once more to see if he could torment Ash any further. "How does it feel to sixteen, Ashyy boy? Still younger than me."

"By only two months!" Ash fumed. He always fell for Gary's joke traps. No one could wind him up better than Gary could.

"Still younger." Gary shrugged before turning his attention to Tracey, "Hey Sketchit, haven't seen you in a fortnight. You still dating that human car alarm?"

Once again, Tracey's appearance betrayed him as his cheeks went the colour of a cherry. "Y-yes!'

"Oh come on, she's not _that_ loud." Brock mused, "I don't remember her being that loud anyway. What I do remember is that she had those beautiful... "

"Right! Enough of this conversation! Change the subject!" Tracey interrupted, his voice high and his fists clenched. "Thats enough, now."

"Sisters. I was gonna say _beautiful sisters._ Lily and Violet."

"What about Misty?' Ash asked.

The whole room stopped what they were doing and gawked at him. Mirroring Tracey just minutes before, he tried to change the focus of the conversation.

"I mean...is she coming?" He asked quietly, nudging Pikachu with his toe because it was giving him a pointed look. "It'd be nice to catch up with everyone."

"Yeah sure." Gary said, taking his cue and running with it. "Brock can tell you about his medical studies, Tracey can tell you about his observations and I can blow them both out of the water by telling you about my groundbreaking research. But first," he leaned an elbow on Ash's shoulder, towering over him, "You can tell us how you choked during your final match. What was the deal with that?'

Ash could feel his blood boil but instead of allowing Gary to get to him he decided to answer calmly. "The better man won."

"Tauros-shit, you were the better trainer and you _know_ it. Tell me, do you get a kick out of messing up on purpose or what?"

Ash winced. That one had hurt. He never, ever threw a match and to even be accused of such a thing was maddening. He clenched his fists.

"Guys, really not the time to be doing this, " Tracey began, waving his arms around like a white flag surrendering. It was Brock's turn to ease the situation.

"I think he was telling you that you're a great trainer and that he was rooting for you. Well, in his own Gary way he trying to say that."

Gary nodded, folding his arms. "Yeah, exactly what I meant. You know I'm always on your side, pal. Just don't like seeing you lose to degenerates. "

"He was not!" Ash protested, "Alain was actually kinda cool. He deserved to win."

"And so did you." Gary said, never once raising his voice. He was calm and collected even if his friend's lack of belief in himself annoyed him.

"I'll do it next time, Gary." Ash nodded, "Ill win for Pallet-town." He sounded genuine even if he wasn't so sure he meant it but it was enough for all three of his friends to smile at him with complete and utter pride.

"You bet you will." Gary smirked, putting an arm around his friend and steering him to the door, "Come on, guys. Let's go see grandpa."

* * *

 **Back at the lab**

Ash was amazed at the change in Brock. His aspirations and dreams in life had changed since Ash had first met him. They all sat around a coffee table with tea while all the other furniture had been moved to make room for the party later. Even with Gary boasting about his research, Ash managed to enjoy himself chatting to Brock and Tracey and having Pikachu close by on his lap. Everyone seemed so together and accomplished and that was something Ash was beginning to yearn for.

"From the sounds of it, Kalos sounds like somewhere I should seriously consider visiting before I get back to my studies in September. " Brock said thoughtfully after hearing Ash recount about his experiences. "Mega-evolutions is quite the phenomenon. "

"Ill say. I'm dying to go. I miss travelling," Gary added,sprawling himself out on the couch he had occupied.

"Ash, you could definitely help get them there on your way to Alola," Delia suggested, filling each cup with more tea and watching his reaction carefully.

Ash was tempted to say yes, he really was. The thing was that he thought maybe he could have some more time at home to think and sort himself out.

"Ill think about it."

"What's there to think about?" Gary's grandfather piped up, "New Pokemon and new cultures. I'm excited for you just thinking about it." He reached into his lab coat pocket and pulled out a red and white device, "On the subject of training, perhaps this is probably the best time to give you your present.'

Pikachu leapt out of Ash's lap to have closer look at the present. "Pika!" it cried out merrily.

"Thats right! Its a Pokedex. We'll have you ready in no time. I'm counting on you to collect as much data for me as possible." The old man grinned.

Ash felt like he was being crushed by a weight. The more he thought about he was gonna let everyone down, the harder it became for him to breath.

"T-thanks, Professor." He stammered. A ring at the front door was the only saving grace Ash could find from his breakdown.

Delia got up, clapping her hands excitedly as she sped towards the door. The people of Pallet town had come to see them just as they did when he first left town.

"You alright, Ash? You look pale as hell right now?" Gary asked, wondering if his shorter friend was about to faint. He noticed Brock watching too. Surely he couldn't be the only one wondering why Ash was acting so weird.

"M'fine. Honest. D'ya know when the others are getting here?"I'm

"Uh, I don't know about many of the others but I do know Misty is on her way."

Ash frowned. "I didn't know you guys talked that much."

"We leave close by. Plus, Daisy is always over to see Tracey and 'little red' usually tags along." Gary shrugged, well aware of the tension in this conversation. He looked up to see if Brock was still around but unfortunately for him, the Pewter city gym leader was already declaring his undying love towards the local officer Jenny.

"Relax Ketchum. I'm not taking your place. All your friends still worship you."

"I didn't mean anything like that..I just. Yeah, I guess I'm a little jealous that you get to see everyone on a daily basis. I've missed them. I kind of wish that I...could stay home for a while. Maybe compete in the Indigo league once more ?" Ash admitted, letting his guard down. Gary was full of himself but he was still his friend and he felt comfortable sharing with him even if it earned him hours of teasing.

Gary rolled his eyes, he did not think Ashy-boy of all people to develop nostalgia for this boring little town. Ash was meant for great things and it made Gary weary to think that he'd grown tired of his ambitions.

"But you get to travel and meet new people and _win...'_

"Gary!" Ash hissed, wanting him to lower his voice, "I would have thought that you of all people would have wanted me to give up. You're the one always calling me a loser!"

Gary was shocked, "Are you still going on about me teasing you when we fought in the Kanto league? That was years ago. Obviously I think differently now!"

"Oh do you really? I thought it was because you got bored and were now onto something else? Something better." Ash could not hide the bitterness in his tone. He was jealous. Jealous of Gary, jealous Brock and jealous of basically anyone who had their shit figured out. Ash was far and from having his shit figured out.

"No, it was because I thought we were friends." Gary spat, he knew himself that he had been a massive prick in the past but he had felt that he had more than proved himself to be a good friend and grandson to everyone he knew. Him finding his true calling in research had made him more comfortable with himself and to be no longer the lost little boy who feigned arrogance until he knew he could be as great as his grandfather who's shadow he had lived in. "Can't you see that I'm trying to keep you from giving up, you idiot! We all are! Tracey and Brock are walking on eggshells around you. No doubt your mother and Pikachu are doing the same. "

"Lower you voice." Ash hissed, clenching his fists, "I don't want them to hear this. This is my problem. Not theirs."

Ash was not normally this restrained in a fight. If you antagonized him enough he'd explode and be confrontational. Gary would know, he was an expert in setting Ash Ketchum off.

"I don't know what's up with you but I really hope you get over it soon. You're creeping everyone out." Gary sighed before disappearing into the crowd that covered the whole ground floor of the lab.

Ash, crestfallen, slipped outside to get some air before anyone noticed. Everyone was still enjoying each others company and his Pokémon were having a blast. Outside was a much more lonely affair. Ash had been the star of the party but for now they would just have to be content with gorging on party food and chattering about their lives without him. Ash Ketchum was sad and this time, he could not pick himself up right after his latest fall.

* * *

"Keep it together, Ash." He told himself, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets, "Do it for them. Your family."

Lyle remained out in the bushes near the end of the hill that the laboratory rested on. He rested well as he spied on the local people entering the building from afar. Ash Ketchum's birthday being the same day he decided to watch him was a Happy accident for Lyle. He wondered if the boss even knew. From looking at his picture Lyle quickly opined to himself that the kid certainly didn't look sixteen but it could have been taken years ago. He adjusted the lens on his team rocket owned camera and began snapping. It was quiet easy to be well hidden as Pallet town was more like a large field than a small town.

The amount of fascinating Pokémon that populated Oak's land made Lyle's fingers itch. It was getting harder to stay on track and not rob every Pokémon in sight. That is until the target stepped right into his view alone. It took a few minutes but Lyle realised that the teenager leaving the building a few metres away from him was Ash Ketchum. He was close enough to grab and go.

"Easy now Lyle. You don't want to get caught, do you?" The rocket member whispered to himself. Still, the idea of nabbing the kid now and giving him over to the boss was all too tempting. Its not like the kid looked like he could put up much of a fight. Truth be told, Lyle was still unsure why his employer would want such a little dweeb working for him. Especially when his Pikachu was a much more worthy prize.

If he were to get him. He would have to lead him away from the pokemon. Ash may look like a snotty little brat to Lyle but he knew better than to challenge a trainer surrounded by his own Pokémon. Quick thinking lead him to shake the bushes and step back.

The kid's head shot up. He had heard it. Lyle rustled them harder and dipped down again.

"Hello?" he could hear the boy call out, "Bulbasaur, is that you?"

Interesting, Lyle thought, watching carefully, the boy thinks I'm a Pokemon. He thought to keep it that way. The temptation to snatch the boy and run was getting too much to bear especially since Lyle had the right type of Pokémon to perform that task. Its not like lower level grunts like him were provided with Pokémon that could do anything else but aid thievery. He rustled and forcefully stamped on every twig he could to get this kid's attention. His stealthy moves had him leading the unsuspecting twerp down towards the neighboring grassland. He held his breath as he could hear the boy's scratchy voice call out once more. This was it. This was his moment.

"Electabuzz! Thundershock! Now!" He roared, pelting his Pokeball towards the teen. The electabuzz appeared with its fists clenched and eyes focused on its target. Fatal sparks struggled to be contained within the pokemon as it geared up for its attack.

Ash, always on for a battle even if it was out of the blue, reached down for a pokeball. He patted himself down before realizing he was defenseless. He had to change tact quickly.

"Team rocket!" he declared fiercely, "If you're looking to steal pokemon then you'll have to get through me."

"Is that so?" Lyle raised an eyebrow , "You don't seem equipped to stop me?"

Electrobuzz took that as his cue to carry out a merciless attack, his bolts of lightening knocking the Ketchum boy over.

The sixteen year old would not be kept down for long though as he sprang back onto his feet. In a rare moment of confidence, he scoffed.

"You're gonna have to try harder than that, pal. You're not getting your hands on anything here. In fact, you're kind of crashing my birthday party so if you could hurry it up that'd be great."

Lyle fumbled to find another Pokéball as electabuzz tried to weaken Ash. Both owner and Pokémon were getting frustrated with their lack of progress and Lyle had even thought about making a run for it before thinking of a plan. A simple yet a effective plan.

Lyle sent out another Pokémon, "Hypno! Go!"

Ash was too busy dodging electabuzz' attacks to even notice the new arrival.

"Who. Even. Are you?" Ash panted, wondering how Pikachu and the others had not heard this whole commotion. "Youre not one of the usual suspects."

"Im someone who's gonna change your life.I'm going to set you on the right path. HYPNO! Use HYPNOSIS."

The yellow pokemon with the large nose and pendulum in hand turned his attention to the young trainer. "Hypno," it purred.

"Oh cool. You have a hypno and an electrobuzz. ' the raven haired teen tilted his head in admiration. He really did love pokemon. It did, however, occur to him moments after what was happening. He began to stand back, hoping one of his former Pokemon would hear and scurry out to help.

"This really isn't a fair fight yanno." He said, his voice wavering and clenching his fists.

Never had he felt so intimidated by anyone brandishing the big red R but something in the young bandit's face and stance told Ash that something was seriously wrong. This Team Rocket criminal was not looking for Pikachu, he was looking for Ash.

Ash' fear must not have been obvious as Lyle was kind of amazed by how clueless this kid was. Did he not know of an attempted kidnapping when he saw one? Even an impromptu one? Perhaps not, he thought as Hypno began to swing the pendulum. Large, hypnotic waves floated over to Ash, coated his mind and body with a relaxing warmth.

Almost instantly Ash's brown eyes followed the pendulum, falling into a hypnotic trance at an alarming rate. Lyle was impressed with his own Pokémon's power. He had used hypno in robberies but this was a new experience for him. He supposed that the kid did not have much of a defence in the first place. No one could hear them, the kid was unarmed of pokemon and somewhat weakened by an ass-kicking from electabuzz and this was all the perfect combination for this whole thing needed to work. Lyle almost felt bad for him.

However, being sympathetic was not what he was here to do.

He stepped forward to check on Ash but also looked over to the lab occasionally in case he was seen. It was funny to him that no one had heard any of this going on. There seemed to be a loud noise coming from the laboratory and not one you would expect from a party.

"I better get this done quickly." He murmured to his accomplice pokemon before turning his attention back to the mesmerized boy.

Ash's eyes were completely unfocused now and his eyelids were unbearably heavy. His shoulders were hunched as though he were about to collapse into a deep sleep. This was Lyle's chance to not only be in with a chance for promotion but to also change this kid's life for the better.

"I'm not here to take your Pokémon, " Lyle began, stepping closer to the boy. "I've come here to get you. The boss wants you on our team and from what I've heard about you, I agree with him."

Ash did not react or say anything. He continued to watch the pendulum, his breathing slow and the perplexed look on his face etched away the more he was exposed to the hypnosis.

"We've been watching and we like what we see. You're special, Ash Ketchum. And too good for the likes of the Pokemon leagues. They don't understand your abilities. They don't know how to harness it like team rocket can. "

Lyle sent Electabuzz back into his Pokéball quietly and circled the entranced boy.

"I know all about your adventures and I've been filled in about your connections to legendary Pokémon. You are remarkable and yet you play it safe under Samuel Oak's guidance. Team Rocket can help you become so much more." He said gently, "You'll never become a Pokémon master like that. Its time to stop waiting and to start taking what is yours. Team rocket can help with that. Team Rocket can help you have it all."

"Team Rocket..." Ash mumbled, his voice free from emotion.

"That's right, Ash. Join Team Rocket. Be obedient and join team rocket..." Lyle lulled him into a deep sleep. The rookie recruit had no idea how much influence on the kid but he knew that he could not leave without him.

He continued to circle Ash and thought of his next few words carefully.

"Aren't you sick of losing, Ash?' Lyle asked, feigning concern with a gentle tone of voice, "Dont you want to be a winner? We at team Rocket want you to be a winner."

This had done it. He knew it had done it. The kid's fists had clenched on hearing those words and therefore they had made a mark on him.

The boy was in a deep sleep. It was dark out and it was quiet out with the exception of distant murmurings of Pokemon at the lab.

Lyle moved forward. The kid was ready. The plan had fallen into place.

No one could stop him now.

That is until he felt a sharp stone smack into his cheek and scrape the sensitive skin by the right nostril. He covered the affected area with his palm and looked around angrily to see who had through it. Perhaps it was a clumsy pidgey with a pebble.

"Hey!" came an enraged bellow, "Get away from him. NOW!"

* * *

Lyle swiftly turned around to face three teenagers who looked both stunned and infuriated. Lyle was outnumbered by two girls and one boy. Each appeared to be ready to pull out their Pokémon at any minute. Crap, he thought, they're probably party guests.

"I said get away!" the red haired girl barked again, hurling a Pokéball out to battle

"Misty," the brown haired girl with a bandanna said, "Whats he doing? What's wrong with Ash?!"

"I dunno, he seems to be in some sort of trance!" Misty replied, panicking. "We need to take this guy out!"

"Right," the boy with sleek green hair had finally spoken and summoned a Pokémon out of a pokéball with such grace that one would forget that this was an emergency.

The green haired kid had one of the most awesome looking Absol that Lyle had even seen. His fingers itched, the need to steal unique Pokémon had never waned in him.

The Absol only served as a distraction to the main attraction. The ground shook as the feisty red haired girl sent out her Gyarados. The water- dragon Pokémon roared before aiming a gush of water at Lyle, knocking him back a few yards.

"Impressive!" The brown haired girl cooed. She then turned to her green haired friend. "Drew, do you think you can knock out that Hypno?"

"On it, " Drew replied, knowing a quick attack would do the trick.

"Right! Time for Squirtle!" May announced, releasing her water Pokemon. "Misty, is that creep coming back?"

Misty, who was soaked due to the enormous puddles caused by her own Garados, had tore her worried gaze over from Ash to the direction that the team rocket member was catapulted to. "I can't see him. Is Ash okay?"

"Just a sec. Squirtle, use your water gun to help snap Ash out of this."

The Squirtle dutifully aimed towards the hypnotized teen and gave him the full effect of a water gun. Ash lost his footing and landed on his back, coughing and spluttering as he was winded by the impact and had even choked on a mouthful or two of water.

After a few moments of making sure the Hypnos was on his way back to his owner through a thorough ass-kicking on Absol's part, the three teens scrambled over to a dazed looking Ash.

"Ash? Ash? Are you okay?" Misty asked, draping her jacket over his shoulders. It was tiny but at least it would stop him from getting too cold. "Guys, did anyone see Pikachu around?" she asked, snapping her head suddenly to the other two, "That guy didn't take Pikachu, did he?'

"No," Ash croaked, his fit of coughing over. "He's inside. He's safe."

Drew frowned, peering up at the lab and at the people in and out of it. "Seems to be a bit of commotion up there too."

"Team Rocket are behind that as well, I bet." May said bitterly, crossing her arms as she stood next to Drew. Her money was on Jessie, James and Meowth. So nothing to worry about.

"Ash,"Misty moved towards him carefully, "Are you okay?"

The Pallet town native had to catch his breath before he wipe strands of wet hair out of his eyes and reply.

"Yeah, I guess. Don't remember a whole lot."

"Do you remember your own birthday?" May asked worriedly, causing Drew to guffaw.

"Of course he does, May." He nudged her, "He probably can't remember anything short term since he was...you know , hypnotized. "

"I was what? Is that why everything up to an hour ago is completely blank in my mind? The hell is going on?" Ash exclaimed, slapping his own forehead as though it would help regain his memory. The three others just sighed in both relief and frustration at his old goofy self.

"We were kind of hoping you'd tell us that. " Misty's lips pursed, "You had me worried, you big dummy! Why were you without Pokemon? You could have been seriously hurt!"

"As opposed to now?" Ash asked, referring to the bruising, minor cuts and drenched clothing he had received from being knocked over by Squirtle.

"We were trying to snap you out of it. You really scared us!" Misty exclaimed, unimpressed by his attitude and had felt she was only starting to calm down.

"Yeah Ketchum, we saved you." Drew added, though he was glad to be able to show off his glorious moves even in dire straights.

Misty had two damp hands clasp her shoulders as Ash used her as an aid to stand up. "I know. You guys are great. I owe you." He kept his hands there even when he was standing. "Thanks," he said gently.

May took a look around herself to take in what had taken place. "What is going on? Like, what lead up to this?"

Ash shook his head a couple of time to somewhat dry his hair,and to clear his mind, before answering her calmly.

"I went out for some peace and quiet from the noise in the lab when I was attacked. Oh wait, I remember, I heard something going on in there I gotta go help the-" He stumbled before finishing the last word and was caught by both May and Misty, a worried look on each face.

"You better slow down, Ash Ketchum or I'll make you slow down!" Misty threatened, showing some tough love. Sometimes the only way for Ash Ketchum to see sense was to be firm with him.

"Shes right. No need to panic." Drew stated, peering up at the lab."Everything seems under control. Although you might want to go up there soon. They've probably noticed that you're missing."

"Must have been team rocket too." Ash said, sounding completely exasperated, "How long were you guys standing here? When did you get here?"

"Daisy drove me here. We saw Drew and May on our way here. They must have been travelling for a long time so we gave them a ride. Daisy went to find a parking space and I told these two we should go this way to the lab to sneak in quietly and act like weren't really late. Though that didn't work out because we saw that team rocket scumbag try to kidnap you-" Misty rambled on before being interrupted by a gobsmacked Ash.

"H-he was try to kidnap _me?_ "

The three who had rescued looked to each other before anyone could answer.

"Yeah. It was really creepy. Are you okay? " Misty asked, her green eyes were filled with concern as she looked him up and down.

"Funnily enough. I wouldn't rank this as the worst birthday experience I've had." The raven haired teen shrugged,"For what its worth. I'm glad you guys came."

May and Misty, touched by his words and glad that he was still okay pulled him into a group hug while Drew looked on awkwardly.

"I'm a tag-a-long but if it means anything, I did help May pick your present. " The Hoenn native shrugged as he spoke. He and Ash were never really anything more than acquaintances but Ash meant a lot to May and May meant a lot to Drew. Therefore, he would make an effort to be civil to any of May's friends, especially Ash.

"He's not too bad at shopping. He can even buy me some decent clothes at times." May chirped, proud of her coordinator boyfriend for making an effort.

A smile threatened to form on Drew's lips. "You sound surprised. You have seen my style, right? I'm good at most things. Including shopping."

"They're perfect for each other." Misty whispered to Ash, who was still kind of shivering from the cold caused from being wet to the skin.

"You wouldn't think so but yeah. They are." He agreed before turning his head to face his red haired best friend, "Can we go inside?"

"Sure. " she replied quietly before trying to get the others' attention, "Hate to break this conversation up but we should probably make sure we show our faces and let everyone know we're not dead."

"Sorry." The couple replied. May was all sheepish while Drew was anything but sorry.

"But before we go in..." Ash began, turning their attention to him, "It'd be best that we don't tell anyone what happened."

"What? Why?" May asked, squinting as though it would make this statement seem clearer. "You were almost kidnapped and hurt. We have to tell officer Jenny."

"Look, I'm okay and it would only upset Mom and Pikachu. I'd never be allowed to leave the house again."

Misty snorted. "If she didn't stop you after saving the fricking world on the Orange Islands then she won't stop you now. Mrs Ketchum isnt _that_ strict."

"My mom on the other hand," May interjected, "-would put bars on my bedroom window. She's so overprotective. "

"I get that but..." Ash sighed as he shoved his hands into his sopping pockets, "I haven't been doing so great after my last loss and I've been worrying everyone. Just an hour or so ago I got in a fight with Gary. That's how I got out here."

"But he was saying stuff like join Team Rocket." May pushed further, "Why would they want you? You'd never work for them!"

"Trust me, May. I'm as confused as you are. I didn't think that guy would come busting in and attacking me. We'll talk about it later but only between the four of us. Please."

Misty raised an eyebrow at Ash. "Boy, you really have people on the edge at the moment. Can we please tell Brock? He's ratted on us before and he's the only semblance of an adult that can help find out what's going on.'

Ash felt a sharp pang of guilt on seeing both Misty and May's pleading faces. Drew looked look he could care less. He was just here for the ride home.

The Ketchum boy relented, "Alright then. We'll tell Brock. But _only_ Brock. Okay? I'll let Pikachu know later. "

After hearing all this and taking in their present circumstances into consideration Misty came to a hasty decision.

"Alright. We won't tell anyone else but Brock. You're right. Its more hassle than we need right now. We'll say we found you and had a water fight or something. Right guys?"

May hugged herself while her teeth chattered. It was supposed to be a warm Summer's night but all of them would develop colds from standing around in the wet for so long.

Drew placed an arm around her. "I won't tell. Its not like I know anyone here anyway. Besides Brock."

Ash nodded, "Come on. Let's go see if everyone up there is okay."

* * *

"Mistaaaay." A figure with long blonde hair shrilled from a distance. It appeared to be a young woman sprinting towards them.

Misty sighed, recognizing that voice from anywhere. "This should be good..." She started to jog towards her sister.

"Daisy! What took you so long?" Misty met her half way. "And why do you look so disheveled?"

Misty's older sister, one of the famed sensational sisters, took in a deep breath before replying.

"So, I was, like, parking the car, right? Well, I was doing an amazing job of that somewhere near a, like, tree..."

Misty rolled her eyes at the irrelevant detail about the tree, "Go on."

"...when some creep landed on the bonnet of my car _out of nowhere_! It was like he was flying or something and like, nowhere. It was out of nowhere, Misty. Some Team Rocket creep."

Drew felt like his head was going to explode with all this shrieking and info-dumping while May and Ash looked at each other uneasily.

"Daisy?" Misty began, her voice a pitch higher than before. A telltale sign of that all was not well to anyone that knew Misty. "Is he still on the car? If he is, could you please take us to him? Please Daisy. This is important!'

Daisy took off her shades, "Well, like, I would if he was still there."

The four teenagers groaned in frustration.

"But..." Daisy continued, "He did wake up and like, tried to attack me so I used all my moves that I learned on being on the set of _Hitmonlee: Chosen One."_

"Oh wow, you're in that? That movie is actually pretty good."

"Not the time, Drew." May hissed.

Daisy looked delighted. ,"A fan? Oh wow. Its always nice to meet the little people. Anyway, I sent him on his way. He had Pokemon or some shit but he wasn't, like, gonna steal _my_ Pokémon. He's gone but my car is ruined."

Misty breathed a sigh of relief. "Good but we could have used with catching up to that jerk."

Daisy's perfectly threaded brows knitted together as she finally got a look at them all. "Oh yeah. What the hell happened here? Birthday boy looks like he's seen better days."

"That's because I have," Ash snorted as he jogged on the spot to keep warm. "Its still nice to see you, Daisy. I know Tracey will be glad to see you."

"Yeah. About that.." Misty turned to Daisy, "Don't go telling Tracey and the others about all this."

"About what? You haven't told me anything about what happened. Besides, he needs to know about my car and how I probably broke some dude's butt."

"Daisy, please. Not a word. Do it for me?' Misty asked, trying to make Daisy see that she really wanted this. She willed her with her eyes to help make Daisy see things her way. Daisy caved.

"Ooookay! Just this once. Gosh, if Lily and Violet were here I'd be winning this argument. Come on then, better go inside. You all smell sweaty and icky. "

* * *

 **In the Oak Lab**

Ash and the newcomers were greeted with an array of looks. Some of concern, of dismay and one of anger.

"The hell have you guys been? " Gary asked gruffly, arms folded. "Those Team Rocket freaks came to steal your Pikachu. They would have gotten away with it too if it hadn't been for me and my Pokémon!"

Brock was there to give a more measured response, "I tried looking for you but then things got out of control when they brought in a huge vacuum. Gary's Blastoise annihilated it. Misty! May! Hey!"

The distracted trainee Doctor gave both his old friends a tight hug. It wasn't something he usually did but it was nice to see some friendly faces in times of mayhem.

"Your Mom's trying to keep everyone happy with cake even though the lab is ruined. Which my Grandpa should bill you for seeing as it was _your_ Pokemon they were after and that you were no where to be seen."

Ash gritted his teeth and dug his fingers into his palms so is to stop himself from biting back.

Gary continued, not caring about his friend's attempts to keep things civil.

"I was gonna apologise for riling you up early coz I didn't think I was being a good friend but not now. You really have given up Ashy-boy. Leaving all the hero antics up to me while you ...what? Go for a swim? Leave your pokemon here to get hurt while you do Arceus knows what? _Pathetic_."

To Hell with being civil, Ash charged forward only to have an arm stop him from moving any further. To Ash's surprise, the arm belonged to Drew.

"Come on, Ketchum. Don't do this now."

"He's right, Ash. This is supposed to be a good day-"

May's pleading was cut off by the fury in Ash's actions. He grabbed Gary's collar and lowered his voice, "That team rocket guy was right. I am too good for the likes of you and your grandfather. " With that, he let go of the bewildered young Oak. He was more concerned with how it took two strong guys like Brock and Drew to pull Ash off of Gary, The cryptic message, however, seemed to just make Gary even more worried for Ash. He was not used to regretting his actions towards the Ketchum boy this quickly.

* * *

Not many had heard this exchange but those who did were extremely worried. May and Misty dragged Ash up to the stairs where they could talk privately. Gary had disappeared off somewhere and the guests were beginning to disperse. In the corner of her eye, Misty could see Mrs Ketchum wander around the lab, just missing the whereabouts of her son by a couple of minutes.

"Where's Pikachu?" Ash asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Probably in there somewhere looking for you. Just like your mother. We better keep going 'till we can talk in private" Misty ordered pushing him to get him to keep going.

"Good going, Ash. You've gotten everyone worried about you. How does that make you feel?" May asked, glaring at him accusingly as Misty lead the way.

"Not great." Ash replied flatly , "Things have taken a turn, haven't they?'

"I'll say." Misty hissed, "Brock's gone to find Gary, Drew is...somewhere and you're lucky I don't smack your head right off your shoulders."

"Wait. What did I do?" Ash frowned as he was pulled into one of the many rooms, "It was _Gary_ who was mouthing off."

"Bird-Jesus, Ash! You know better than to take anything he says seriously!' Misty face palmed in frustration.

"Why are you guys mad at me?!"

"Because!" May started, her nostrils flaring, "We heard you say that stuff with the team rocket guy. You pretty much said you'd be better off being with them. And how could you say such a thing about the Professor?"

"I was just saying it to scare him." Ash reasoned so as to calm them down. Misty nodded, pretending to consider his words before ripping him apart.

"Hm, that would make sense only that HE WASN'T THERE AND HAS NO IDEA

WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!"

Ash winced at every word and attempted to keep then calm again. "Okay. Okay. I'm sorry. I was mad and said stupid stuff."

"You're really scaring me, Ash. I know you'd never join them but you could have been taken away and to say something like that is just...is just.. " May couldn't hold back a few tears as she said this. Ash, used to her softhearted nature, pulled her into a hug.

"Im sorry, May. Its just me being stupid ole Ash. I was angry and its been a rough day." He rubbed her back as he spoke gently. Truth be told he was exhausted, cold and hungry and was wary of the others being all these things too.

Misty could only glance over once at the boy comforting his friend before she could fold her arms and look to the floor. Misty could not let Ash's explanations quell her concerns and suspicions. Something had changed in her best friend over the last six years and now it was putting him in danger.

Misty was so deep in thought that she hadn't heard Ash tell May to go find Drew so they could all clean up and find some warm clothes. She certainly had not heard the first time he had called her name.

"Misty." He repeated. She snapped back into reality and finally looked up.

"Yeah?'

"I'm sorry. For being weird."

Misty sighed, taking her tiny jacket off his shoulders. Well, more like she peeled it off as it stuck to his sweater.

"You gotta go clean up before your Mother finds you. She's gonna be worried."

Ash sighed. She had basically ignored his apology.

"I'm not like that you know. I'm not like Team Rocket. You, May, Brock and even Gary, you all know this."

"I know Ash." Misty patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"And I'll be okay."

"Promise?" Misty asked without skipping a beat.

"I promise."

* * *

"How come everyone's leaving?" Daisy asked, finally picking up her slice of birthday cake. She had settled her self on one of the sofas with suitable company. Tracey, her boyfriend, just shook his head and chuckled, "They've been here a while. You may have a time-keeping problem!"

"Do not!" Daisy squawked, mouth filled with buttercream icing and Madeira sponge. To Tracey she looked glamorous even when she ate like a toddler struggling to use a fork.

"Well, you certainly weren't here earlier. The place was packed. I would even have called it a great party had not birthday boy decided to disappear." Tracey sighed, shaking his head. "Never-mind that. I should be concentrating on you. What kept you anyway?"

Daisy had opened her mouth to tell him exactly what had happened and was ready to see just how impressed he would be. The only problem was that she reminded herself of what she had promised her sister so she spouted out the first thing she could think of.

"I uh...hit the Ketchum kid with my car by accident."

The Cerulean beauty cringed at her own answer and was met with a horrified expression on her boyfriend's face.

"How...?"

"Well, " Daisy said, quickly trying to spin a story, "It was getting dark and we were kind of in a hurry and then the kid was there and we couldn't see him and I braked hard and then, and then, and then..."

Tracey's eyes widened with every word that fell out of her mouth. "Oh Daisy...this..." He shook his head, "Is he okay?"

Daisy waved her hand about dismissively, "Oh yeah! Yeah he is! He was standing up right after it. It was a miracle!"

"Still," Tracey said firmly, folding his arms tightly to his chest "I saw Nurse Joy around here somewhere. I think they even invited a few Nurse Joys today. She could just check to make sure he's okay."

"Fine, fine," Daisy looked over her shoulder before sprinting towards the door.

"Where are you going? I think she's out towards the door."

"I'm um...gonna find Officer Jenny..." Daisy lied, rushing to the hallway. She had to warn the others about her lie so they could all keep their story straight.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash, Brock, Drew, May and Misty and squeezed into a small backroom where all the equipment had been shoved into so there would be room for the party in main area. They had filled Brock in after quickly changing clothes and found a suitable place ton reconvene. With Brock being his usual trustworthy self, he listened to every word carefully and had a think before giving his two cents.

"Honestly, I don't think you have anything to worry about," he offered, shrugging his shoulders.

"Really?" Ash asked, pulling at the lapels of a lab coat he had borrowed to keep warm, "You really think so?"

"Of course!" The Pewter city gym leader grinned, "You've beaten team rocket countless of times. This guy probably got his orders all mixed up. Its not like we're dealing with competent thieves here. Don't worry about it!"

"But Brock," Misty protested, who was huddled up in a large red shirt she had found in some random closet, "This was different. It felt different..."

"Guys, honestly, I feel like you all got a bit spooked and are still not fully over it. Team Rocket caught you by suprise. You would have gotten out of that situation like you always do."

"I agree with Brock," Drew added as he was curled up beside May. He did not know Brock as well as May and the rest but he did know that he seemed like a pretty smart guy when he did talk to him so he trusted his judgement. "They're no match for you guys. They're idiots."

"They weren't even looking to steal Pokémon. They were looking for Ash," Misty argued, overcome with frustration.

"I'm sure it was just a distraction so Jesse, James and Meowth could come along and take Pikachu without much of a struggle. Not a very good distraction at that." Brock reasoned.

As the others kept talking about it, Ash kept replaying everything he _could_ remember in his mind. What he could piece together as that strange guy had wanted him to join Team Rocket and something about all the things he could achieve with them. He had tried to control him because it was common knowledge that Ash Ketchum was no bad guy. This was all that was apparent to Ash.

Should they all be as flippant towards this as Brock was? Ash wasn't so sure. The more he thought about it the more he remembered the close calls he had with the organisation and others like it. Sure, the usual trio he faced were easily disposed of but anyone else a rank higher had been a challenge.

Ash had always seem himself as the good guy and that Team Rocket were bona-fide villains but this whole evening had him feeling different. Everything was no longer so black and white.

He had felt so aimless and they had offered him options. They had got into his head and it would not stop.

"Pika Pi?"

Ash's head snapped up quickly to see Pikachu scamper up to him and leap onto his lap.

"Pika Pi!" The mouse Pokémon repeated, alarm in its eyes. He had been searching for Ash all evening and was shocked to see him look so awful.

"I-I'm here, Buddy. Don't worry." Ash stammered, pulling the Pokémon closer to him, "I've just been a little busy!"

"Oh thank Arceus! You _are_ here!" Daisy yelled, bursting into the room and panting, "I've been looking for you all everywhere!"

"Woah, Daisy..."Misty got up to appease her distressed sister, "Breathe in and breathe out."

"I know how to breathe, Misty!" she huffed, trying not to trip over a box of books, "I've come here to warn you guys. I told Tracey a lie about about why my car is pretty much wrecked and now he has Nurse Joy coming to find us to make sure you're alright."

"Just out of curiosity, what did you tell him?" Misty asked, although she wasn't too sure that she wanted to know.

"That I hit Ash with my car."

Drew snorted. "Knocked down by a movie star. You should sue, Ketchum."

Misty covered her face in embarrassment while the others struggled to keep back laughter.

Pikachu, however, peered up at Ash, unable to comprehend what was happening.

Ash bit back a fit of laughter and stroked the Pokémon's ears, "Its a long story, friendo. I'll explain later, I promise." He bit his lip and brought his attention back to Daisy, "Don't worry about it. We can play along. I feel bad about lying to Tracey though. And everyone else."

"How do you think I feel?" Daisy fumed but stood to attention when a concerned looking woman with a neatly styled pink hair and friendly demeanor arrived in with Tracey.

"Well, there's our patients. How's everyone feeling?" the matronly woman asked, immediately going to Ash and inspecting the cuts on his face.

"Brock, have you checked them out yet?" Tracey asked worriedly, knowing that Brock was training to be a Pokémon Doctor but Tracey thought he might have enough medical knowledge to help out.

"I- uh- just a few cuts and stuff. They're okay."

"Still, have to be sure. We don't want anyone having a head injury," Nurse Joy said, pulling out a light and shining it into Ash's eyes, making him squirm.

"Sorry," she said gently, wishing she had clefairy with her to tend to the others as she could feel them watching her. Something was not right about this situation and she could not put her finger on why. She could feel everyone staring at her but she supposed it was just her being silly. Usually she was behind a desk and did not have much of an audience.

"Hello? Anyone in here? Ah, Tracey, I was wondering where you had go-" Professor Oak stopped when he'd realised there were more than just Tracey in the storage room. "What the blue-blazes is going on in here? And why are some of you wearing my clothes?"

Misty suddenly felt self conscious in the shirt, "There was a bit of an accident."

"Miss Waterflower accidentally hit Mister Ketchum with her car earlier," Nurse Joy said, hoping to answer Professor's first question. "I'm just making sure everyone is fine. " She pulled out her bag to find cotton buds to clean the tiny cuts with. "You had a lucky escape, young man. You could have been seriously hurt. "

"You need to be careful, Ash!" The Professor scolded, though really he was relieved that the boy had not been hurt badly.

"I wasn't driving the car!" Ash said grumpily, though he softened a bit once he caught Misty and May hiding their faces so they could laugh. It was pretty funny, he guessed.

"So that's why you had been missing for so long. Your mother has been fretting over you all throughout the party. Though I suppose you had a good excuse."

The kindly Professor popped his head out for a minute and could be heard calling out something along the lines out, "They're in here, Delia." Once he was back in he noticed there were newcomers in the room.

"Misty! May! Its been quite a while!"

"Its good to see you too, Professor!" May chirped, "I'm not sure you remember Drew. He's my..."

"Friend" Drew added on,"I'm her _friend."_ He winked at May when no one was looking. Now was not the time for discussing their relationship.

"Nice to meet you," The Professor replied cheerfully.

"Likewise," Drew answered, his eyes swiveling over to the door where a frantic woman emerged into the room, worry etched all over her pretty face.

Delia Ketchum found the one person she had been looking for all evening and narrowed her eyes in on him.

"Where _have you been?"_

Ash gulped, no longer in a laughing mood, "I uh...went to get the others. Misty texted to say they were outside and I went to go get them and... accidentally got hit by the car."

Delia gasped, "Have you been here the whole time? Are you okay? What about everyone else?"

"We're a-okay, Mrs Ketchum." Misty piped up, lifting Pikachu off Misty's lap to cuddle with.

Daisy, on the otherhand, had grown quiet. She knew she did not look good in this situation and even seemed to start looking guilty about something she did not even do. Misty hated this situation and felt responsible for it.

"Is everything okay?" Mrs Ketchum asked Nurse Joy, moving to her side and checking Ash's pupils.

"He's not concussed," Joy answered, swatting her away, "In fact, he's all cleaned up. I'll just make sure that the others involved in the accident are okay and we'll call it a night."

"Thank you, Nurse Joy. I know this is inconvenient."

"Not the first time I've had to work while off duty." Joy waved her away while ignoring Brock, who had been gawking at her lovingly the whole time.

After Joy was done checking that everyone was fine she had offered to give some of them a ride home though everyone had decided to stay in Pallettownfor the night.

The Professor offered rooms to May and Drew with Tracey while there had already been accommodation plans made for Misty, Brock and Daisy in the Ketchum residence.

"Actually, I might stay with Tracey tonight," Daisy whispered to Misty, looking rather pale.

"Sure, sure. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just hate this lying." Daisy admitted, her usual Valley girl act had slipped.

Misty had grown closer Daisy ever since she got back to the gym a few years ago and felt responsible for her sister's discomfort. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

* * *

Brock and Misty chatted all the way to Ketchum house, catching up since the last time they had seen each other while Delia walked alongside Ash.

The yellow mouse knew better than to wait for mother and son to start arguing and leaped off his owner's shoulder to catch up with the Brock and Misty.

Ash waited for his mother to say anything first before he would start with the excuses but she was quiet except for one "Are you okay?"

The weight of all that had happened plus everything his mother had done to make sure he could have a great party was getting too much to bear.

"Mom..." he began, ready to provide any explanation or excuse needed to fix the awkwardness between them both. He'd even thought about making up his mind to continue Pokémon training again so he could make her proud. He may be unsure but at that moment, he'd do anything.

"Not now, Ash," Delia said quietly, "We'll talk in the morning."

"I just want to say I'm sorry. I didn't mean for the night to turn out like this."

Delia waited until she could unlock the door and let the others in before she could answer.

"You're worrying me," Delia said, stopping her son from entering the house. "You think you can come home and shut everyone out and then disappear from your own party?"

"I know." Ash sighed, his eyebrows slanting upwards, "I'm sorry, Mom. I really am. And Daisy really didnt mean to hit me. It was an accident."

"I'm not mad at Daisy, Ash. I'm not even mad at you. I'm just worried. You're all I have, you know."

"You don't just have me, Mom," Ash said, looking down at his feet, "You have the Professor and Tracey and..."

"Ash, _you_ are my priority. Just because I have Samuel and Mimey to keep me company doesn't mean I stop hoping you're alright when you're away and wishing you were here."

"Of course I'm alright. I'm always alright. I have my Pokémon and my friends to keep me out of trouble." Ash said, putting a hand on his mother's shoulder, "And thanks for the awesome party, Mom. Pity that Team Rocket wrecked it and that I missed the cake."

"Nothing different there then. " Delia chuckled softly, "Ash?"

"Yeah, Mom?"

"You weren't hiding away on purpose, were you? Did I do something wrong?"

Ash winced, feeling so gross for making her worry so much and feel like she was the reason he had acted the way he did today. He could see a range of emotions in her earthy brown eyes. The ones that he had inherited from her. Guilt was one emotion he could suss out. Guilty as though she were responsible for the bad happenings in her lives or for his father not being here. It was all wrong as Ash knew that the one thing his mother was responsible for was for him being able to have the chances he has today. As much as he felt he could not continue training, he at least knew that he would have try to. For her sake.

"What? Mom you didn't do anything. I was just finding the others when the accident happened."

"And You'll tell me when something is wrong, won't you?"

Without missing a beat, Ash answered while avoiding eye contact. "I will. I promise."

It was frightening to him how convincing he sounded.

* * *

 **Chapter Two is in the works!**


End file.
